Rumblestrutting and Weird Popcorning

[KaylaT4403]

One of my Sow's (Penelope) has been in heat lately. I would not be concerned if It did not look weird. She chases my other sow ( Luna) around the cage mounting her. After she fails to mount she does a super weird popcorn. It's each time. It's kind of like a really jerky twitchy popcorn It's hard to explain. I just hope she's okay. She's eating regularly, Drinking, No hair loss, She gets her exercise. As I'm typing this she's frantically chasing Luna mounting and Luna is starting to have enough. Do I need to have her checked out? This weird popcorn is concerning me

 

[Wiebke]

One of my Sow's (Penelope) has been in heat lately. I would not be concerned if It did not look weird. She chases my other sow ( Luna) around the cage mounting her. After she fails to mount she does a super weird popcorn. It's each time. It's kind of like a really jerky twitchy popcorn It's hard to explain. I just hope she's okay. She's eating regularly, Drinking, No hair loss, She gets her exercise. As I'm typing this she's frantically chasing Luna mounting and Luna is starting to have enough. Do I need to have her checked out? This weird popcorn is concerning me

Hi! Don't worry about the popcorning; each piggy has their personal style the way we humans all dance differently.

However, popcorning after mounting is typically a boar behaviour rather than sow behaviour; they only mount for dominance and when in season, which are both serious occasions whereas for boars mounting has a playful/training side, and youngsters popcorn with joy over their achievement.

I would strongly recommend that you double check the gender of your guinea pigs. Mis-sexing of shop and breeder piggies is unfortunately surprisingly common! You can find our illustrated sexing guide via the links below. Please separate asap if you find that you indeed have a boar and best open an ongoing support thread in our pregnancy section.
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
Sexing Guide

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/forums/pregnancy-baby-care-and-sexing-no-breeding.11/
Pregnancy & Baby Care Guide's

 

[lilyandluna]

 

[KaylaT4403]

Hi! Don't worry about the popcorning; each piggy has their personal style the way we humans all dance differently.

However, popcorning after mounting is typically a boar behaviour rather than sow behaviour; they only mount for dominance and when in season, which are both serious occasions whereas for boars mounting has a playful/training side, and youngsters popcorn with joy over their achievement.

I would strongly recommend that you double check the gender of your guinea pigs. Mis-sexing of shop and breeder piggies is unfortunately surprisingly common! You can find our illustrated sexing guide via the links below. Please separate asap if you find that you indeed have a boar and best open an ongoing support thread in our pregnancy section.
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
Sexing Guide

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/forums/pregnancy-baby-care-and-sexing-no-breeding.11/
Pregnancy & Baby Care Guide's

I checked and its a female c: I'm gonna take her to the vet for a checkup very soon

 

[Roclibrarian]

One of mine does the same. It's like she has no control of her body when she's in season.

 

[Finn-Bendle]

I've only ever seen my piggies popcorn while they're grumpy or chasing each other, my sow Pamela will do this to my other sow Dana. I was worried too as it's a really weird twitchy movement, but unless they're exhibiting violent behaviour, I wouldn't be too concerned. From my experience and research, mounting is a completely normal dominant female behaviour.

 

[TheLittlePig]

Miss piggy does this as well but she starts with rumblestrutting and popcorning then humps Fuzz’s head then popcorns some more but like this extremely twitchy seizure looking thing lol, and she only does it when she is displaying her dominance